Great Tit: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Garden Birds · day 2 of 7

Five facts

1. A great tit has up to 40 distinct calls and songs, including a squeaky wheel-barrow "teacher, teacher" to claim territory.
2. That huge repertoire creates the illusion of a densely populated neighbourhood, which deters rivals.
3. A great tit can hammer a hazelnut open in about twenty minutes, bracing it with its feet and striking it with its bill.
4. In particularly severe winters, a great tit may eat 44% of its body weight in sunflower seeds.
5. A 2007 study found great tits cut caterpillar damage in apple orchards by up to half. Caterpillars are a favourite food for their chicks.

The quiz

1. How many distinct calls and songs can a great tit have?

• Up to 4
• Up to 14
• Up to 400
• Up to 40 (correct)

A great tit has up to 40 distinct calls and songs, including a squeaky wheel-barrow "teacher, teacher" to claim territory.

2. What does the big song repertoire do to rivals?

• Invites them to join the flock
• Deters them by sounding like a crowded neighbourhood (correct)
• Wakes them up at dawn
• Confuses them about food

That huge repertoire creates the illusion of a densely populated neighbourhood, which deters rivals.

3. How long does a great tit take to hammer open a hazelnut?

• About twenty minutes (correct)
• About two minutes
• About an hour
• About two days

A great tit can hammer a hazelnut open in about twenty minutes, bracing it with its feet and striking it with its bill.

4. What share of its body weight may a great tit eat in a severe winter?

• 4%
• 14%
• 44% (correct)
• 94%

In particularly severe winters, a great tit may eat 44% of its body weight in sunflower seeds.

5. By how much can great tits cut caterpillar damage in orchards?

• By up to 5%
• By up to 50% (correct)
• By up to 15%
• By up to 95%

A 2007 study found they cut caterpillar damage in apple orchards by up to half (50%).

More about the Great Tit

Same week

All lessons

Nature documentaries